Viewing the PostgreSQL Database

Postico is a nice tool for examining Postgres databases on OS X. We use it to connect to live experiment databases. Here are the steps needed to do this:

  1. Download Postico and place it in your Applications folder.
  2. Open Postico.
  3. Press the “New Favorite” button in the bottom left corner to access a new database.
  4. Get the database credentials from the Heroku dashboard:
    • Go to https://dashboard.heroku.com/apps/{app_id}/resources
    • Under the Add-ons subheading, go to “Heroku Postgres :: Database”
    • Note the database credentials under the subheading “Connection Settings”. You’ll use these in step 5.
  5. Fill in the database settings in Postico. You’ll need to include the:
    • Host
    • Port
    • User
    • Password
    • Database
  6. Connect to the database.
    • You may see a dialog box pop up saying that Postico cannot verify the identity of the server. Click “Connect” to proceed.